Early summer

There are not many things that will ground you better than a few hours out in the yard will. We've had summer weather here in Portlandia for about a week, and even lazy indoor types like yours truly were out there today.

And that's a good thing, because suddenly everything needs water. It's been a record-dry month so far. 

If I ever hit the lottery, I am going to have a state-of-the-art robotic sprinkler system that will be the envy of the world. I will program it once, some March, and forget about it. 

In the meantime – I don't play the lottery any more – I drag a lot of hoses around. Some days I do it more cheerfully than others. But maybe a neighbor walking by picks up a good vibration from our greenery, so it's worth it. The Mrs. does the art, and I maintain.

The lack of rain is not good. The city's water supply depends on spring rains. It's spring. There's no rain.

And then there are the wildfires every summer. The less precipitation we get now, the worse, and the longer, those fires will be.

It looks like we have another dry week ahead. Hook up the soaker hoses, cross your fingers, and feel the star.